5 tweaks for a bigger back

Broaden your appeal with our best ever tips for a bigger, stronger back

By
Tom Banham

25/11/2016

After all (and as your PT revels in telling you) if you do the same, you’ll look the same. Sure, pull-ups are a key back-building move. But if your body’s adapted to them, hoisting your chin to the bar won't shock your muscles. And no shock means no growth.

You don’t need to throw away the basics to build back muscles that rival an albatross' wingspan, though. Adopt these tweaks to the moves you’re already doing and get ready for soaring gains.

You’re doing – Lat pulldown

Tweak it – Full range pulldown

Strong lats are the foundation of a broad back, but focusing on them at the expense of the three surrounding muscle groups won’t get you shirt-straining growth. That’s why Evolution Of Man Fitness founder Tim Walker upgrades his pulldown with a second contraction. “This move hits the whole back, including lats and rhomboids,” says Walker. He’ll throw in a pair of burning biceps for free.

How to do it

Sit at the lat pulldown machine and grab the handles with an overhand grip. Pull the bar to your sternum then, without moving the handles, lean back until you’re parallel to the floor. Ignore any odd looks as you fire up your middle back by rowing the bar to your chest. Your new wings will turn cynics into copycats.

You’re doing – Pull-up

Tweak it – Sternum pull-up

Adding weight makes pull-ups tougher, but only for the same muscles. Walker’s tweak means more movement, bringing your lower back into play. “Again, this hits the entire back and gives more time under tension.” Translation? More width, denser muscle, and everyone else furtively Instagramming your pull-up bar gymnastics.

How to do it

“Think classic pull-up into pullover, and then finishing with a rowing motion,” says Walker. Easy, right? Starting from a pull-up position (it works with chin-ups and wide-grips too) hoist yourself into the air. As you pull, lean your head back and arch your spine – your legs should finish 45-degrees from the floor. Keep pulling until your sternum’s against the bar and your entire back’s screaming. Lower, catch your breath, and repeat.

You’re doing – Deadlift

Tweak it – Power snatch

It’s normally your legs that burn after deadlift day, but opting for explosive power over raw strength blitzes your lower back instead. Getting the bar over your head taxes your traps, rhomboids and rear delts too, says Landmark London PT Sheridan Prescott. And the hormone spike from working near every muscle in your body means bigger, well, everything. Back included.

How to do it

Squat down and grab a barbell with a wide, overhand grip. “It’s an explosive deadlift, then you extend your arms – and the bar – over your head,” says Prescott. So maybe take off a weight plate or two. Push through your heels to drive the bar up then extend hips, knees and ankles in a jumping motion to maintain its momentum. Unlike a normal snatch, don’t drop into a squat; instead, use your arms to lift the bar over your head. It’s a posterior chain-firing Olympic lift that won’t cripple you.

You’re doing – Bent-over row

Tweak it – Pendlay row

Rows are a back-building staple, but even if your lats and biceps can pull up 150kg, you need a lower back of steel to support the weight in that bent-over position. This variation avoids taxing your spine with a hanging barbell by ripping it off the floor on each rep instead. “This enables a much heavier load,” says Walker, “which means a thicker, more powerful back.” Boosted deadlift power is a bonus.

How to do it

Bend your knees and push your hips back so your back's parallel to the floor, then grab a barbell with an overhand grip. Brace your core and squeeze your shoulder blades together to pull it up to your stomach explosively. Drop it back on the floor – if your gym manager’s not looking – then pause and repeat.

You’re doing – Dumbbell row

Tweak it – Incline bench cable row

The seated row’s an ideal back-builder, if it’s your lats doing the work. Less so when your legs and lower back help out. This tweak takes them out of the equation. “It really targets the lats for people who struggle to engage them properly,” says Walker. Grit your teeth through that burn in your forearms.

How to do it

Position an angled bench in front of a cable station, both pulleys at the bottom position. Lie face down and grab the handles. “Make sure you get a big stretch at the beginning,” says Walker. The further you shift the weight, the bigger you’ll get. Pull your fists to your armpits and pause. Feel that squeeze? They’re the muscles you should have been working before. You’ll be even more aware of them tomorrow.

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